Well cleaning device



y 3 L. B. Ma GREGoR ET'AL 1,805,073 I WELL CLEANING DEVICE Filed Jan.14, 1 28 Patented May 19,1931

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE LAURENCE 1B. MACGREGOR, O1 LONG BEACH, ANDALBERT E. SPEAK, OF OLINDA,

CALIFORNIA 'W'ELL CLEANING DEVICE Application filed January 14, 1928.Serial No. 248,690.

This invention relates to well cleaning devices, and is more articularlyrelated to a device adapted to e lowered into the casing of a well inorder to cleanthe perfora- 5 tions of the perforated casings secured tothe lower end of said casing of sand and accumulated matter to permitthe oil or water, or mixture of oil and water, to flow freely into thewell.

Many forms of well cleaning devices have heretofore been provided,including bailers and even mechanical perforating devices which areadapted to be lowered into the casing to perforate new holes in thecasing.

No one of these devices has proven entirely satisfactory in that they donot entirely remove from the perforations the sand and foreign matterwhich obstructs the perforations and prevents the flow of oil, water andmixtures of oil and water into the casing so that the same may be pumpedfrom the well.

It is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide a well cleaningdevice adapted to be lowered into the casing of a well and tomechanically scour the well casing to clean the perforations thereof.

Another object of this invention is to provide a well cleaning deviceincluding a mandrel or body adapted to be secured to a pipe or cable andlowered into the Well casing into the well screen secured to the end ofthe easing and upon which body a plurality of outwardly projecting pianowires are mounted to provide a form of wire brush.

Other objects and advantages of this vention, it is believed, will beapparent from the following detailed description of the preferredembodiment thereof as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a sectional side elevation'of a fragment of a wellillustrating a well clean ing device embodying this invention suspendedtherein within the well screen or perforated casing.

Figure 2 is a sectional side elevation of a well cleaning deviceembodying this invention.

Figure 3 is an end section illustrating the "manner of securing thepiano wires in the body of the well cleaning device.

In the preferred embodiment of this invention, illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, 1 indicates a well casing to the end of which issecured a perforated casing or well screen 2. The well cleaning deviceembodying this invention is suspended Within the casing 1 into the wellscreen 2 on a cable 3, or other suitable suspending device, such forexample as a string of pipe, rods, or the like.

The well cleaning device embodying this invention includes a body 4,preferably formed of a solid billet of steel, to glve weight to thedevice. Formed at the top of the body 4 is a pin 5 by means of which thedevice is screw-threaded to a complementary coupling member secured atthe lower end of the cable, rods or pipe by means of which the wellcleaning device is suspended in the screen or perforated casing 2 andreciprocated therein in order to scour the perforations 6 of said casingto free the same of sand or other foreign matter that has accumulatedand stopped up said perforations.

The scouring of the perforations 6 by the reciprocations of the wellcleaning device within the perforated casing 2 is performed by aplurality of brushes preferably formed of wires or very thin flexiblerods 7 preferably formed of piano wires which are secured to the body 4in close proximity to form a device resembling a wire brush. The brushesare secured to the body 4 by passing the ends of the said wires throughbores formed in plugs 8 forming the bodies of the brushes, and which arescrew-threaded to the body 4, as illustrated at 9. The inner ends of thewires 7 are bent over on the inner ends of the plugs and the wires 7 areclamped in position by the plugs 8, clamping the ends of the wiresagainst the body 4 within the bores formedin the body 4 into which theMeans are provided for rotating the well cleaner in the casingparticularly when the same is suspended on a cable (not shown) whichmeans preferably comprise vanes 10 formed s irally at the end of thebody 4 tocause the ody 4 to rotate as it passes throu h the water orwell fluid in the well.

Aste

vanes pass down in the water or oil the vanes- 10 produce a swirlingmovement in it. In order to pack the well cleaner in the well when usedwith a cable (the cable clamp connection of which closes the hole 9),the packing ring 11 is mounted on the body on a ring 12 secured to thepacking ring by means of spring members 14. These spring members havetheir lower ends secured to the packing ring so that they do notobstruct its outer face, consequently they do not interfere with thegood contact between the edge of the packing ring and the wall of thescreen.

In the operation of the well cleaning device embodying our invention,the well cleaning device is lowered into the well casing on a cable,rods,'or pipe, and is reciprocated in the perforated Well casing by anysuitable or desirable form of means such as is well understood in theart. The reciprocation of the well cleaning device within the wellscreen causes the flexible Wires to pass through the perforations and toscour said perforations of all sand and accumulated foreign matter.

Having fully described our invention it is to be understood that we donot wish to be limited to the details herein set forth, but ourinvention is of the full scope of the appended claims.

We claim:

1. In a cleaning device for cleaning a screen in a deep well containinga liquid, the combination of a mandrel having a head at its lower end ofconsiderably smaller diameter than the inside diameter of the screenwith means for producing a swirling movement in the liquid as thecleaning device passes downwardly, a packing ring above the head havingan outside diameter substantially equal to the inside diameter of thescreen so as. to rub the inner face of the wall of the screen, and aplurality of brushes carried by the mandrel above the head for engagingthe screen.

2. A cleaning device of the kind described havin a mandrel with aplurality of threaded soc ets in the wall thereof and a plurality ofbrushes having bodies in the form of plugs screwed into the saidsockets, said bodies having central openings and a plurality of wiressecured in each opening with their inner ends bent laterally across theinner faces of the plugs.

3. In a cleaning device for cleaning a screen in a deep well containinga liquid, the combination of a mandrel having a head at its lower end ofsmaller diameter than the inside diameter of the screen, said headhaving means for producing a swirling movement of the liquid as thecleaning device passes downwardly, a packing ring'above the .face

head having a substantially conical lower and havin a diameter enablingthe same to substantially touch the inner face of the wall of thescreen, and a lurality of brushes carried by the mandrel above the headfor engaging the screen.

4. In a cleaning device for cleaning a screen in a deep well containinga liquid, the combination of a mandrel having a head at its lower end ofsmaller diameter than the inside diameter of the screen, said headhaving means for producing a swirling movement of the liquid as thecleanin device Basses downwardly, a packing ring a ove the ead having asubstantially conical lower face and having a diameter enabling the sameto substantially touchthe inner face of the wall of the screen, aplurality of brushes carried by the mandrel above the head for engagingthe screen, and a plurality of wires for holding the said packing ringinposition having their upper ends secured to the mandrel and having theirlower ends embedded in the packing ring, and leaving the outer edge ofthe packing ring unobstructed to rub against the inner face of thescreen.

Signed at Los Angeles, Calif, by LAU- RENCE B. MACGREGOR, this 9th dayof J anuary, 1928.

LAURENCE B. MACGREGOR.

Signed at Brea, Calif, by ALBERT E. SPEAR, this 6th day of January,1928.

ALBERT E. SPEAR.

